SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Several hundred people marched Tuesday to protest the killing of a 13-year-old boy by a California sheriff's deputy in an encounter that sparked an FBI investigation and community outrage.
LawOfficer: Tragic Shooting Involving California Teen and Sheriff’s Deputies
The protesters, including many middle and high school students, assembled in downtown Santa Rosa before marching through streets with signs and hooded sweatshirts bearing photos of the boy.
"Andy Lopez did not have to die," they chanted,
Lopez was shot on Oct. 22 by Sonoma County Deputy Erick Gelhaus, a firearms instructor who authorities said mistook a pellet gun carried by Lopez for an assault rifle.
Investigators say the hoodie-wearing teen didn't comply with commands to drop the gun and was turning toward the deputies while raising the barrel when he was shot multiple times.
The incident remained under investigation by the FBI, prosecutors and Santa Rosa police.
Victor Manieri, 15, a freshman at Elsie Allen High School, left school early to join the march. He said he knew Andy and wanted to show his support for Andy's family.
"I disagree with what that cop did that day," Manieri said. "There are other methods such as using a Taser that would paralyze him, not take away his life."
Mitzi Reyes, 16, a junior at Elsie Allen, marched with her mother and two younger brothers. They also knew Andy and his family.
"I'm here today because I want to get justice not only for Andy but for other people that have died for no reason," she said.
The shooting has generated several protests in Santa Rosa, about 50 miles northwest of San Francisco. On Sunday, more than 1,000 people turned out for a service to remember Lopez.
Sonoma County Assistant Sheriff Lorenzo Duenas said Gelhaus, 48, has been a Sonoma County firearms instructor and rangemaster for 19 years and has trained his law enforcement colleagues in the use of force. He is one of 26 such instructors for the county.
LawOfficer: California Deputy Involved in Teen Shooting Now Receiving Death Threats
Gelhaus also teaches pistol, carbine, shotgun and rifle lessons for Gunsite, a private company in Arizona, according to the company's website.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
